About 5,000 Singaporean families have set up home in Johor.

According to a 2014 estimate by the Johor-Singapore Community Care Association, about 5,000 Singaporean families have set up home across the Causeway.

Some are retirees, such as 68-year-old Amy Tan, who moved in 2014 after her husband retired. Others, such as Mr Ang Khartono Jamil Hanmin, 35, who works in events project management, still work in Singapore, but have chosen to live in Johor Baru and commute between the two cities daily.

Mr Ang says one could buy a terrace house in Johor Baru for the price of a three-room HDB flat in Singapore.

Cost of living was also the main reason behind Ms Noraini Mokhtar’s move. The 47-year-old decided to become a stay-home mum five years ago. Bringing up six children on one income, she and her husband decided that living in Johor Baru would be more viable.